Campaign 2012 Digest

ABC: DNC Chair Slams Wis. Gov. Walker for Equal Pay Repeal“The Democratic National Committee chairwoman called out Republican Gov. Scott Walker today for repealing Wisconsin’s Equal Pay Enforcement Act, a law intended to lower the cost for plaintiffs suing employers for pay discrimination. ‘He tried to quietly repeal the Equal Pay Act. Women aren’t going to stand for that,’ Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said on CNN’s ‘State of the Union.’ National Republicans have yet to comment on the Wisconsin repeal but the Obama campaign has seized the opportunity to tie Walker’s law to Mitt Romney, who has argued that women voters in 2012 only care about pocketbook issues. ‘Does Romney think women should have ability to take their bosses to court to get the same pay as their male coworkers? Or does he stand with Governor Walker against this?’ Obama campaign representative Lis Smith said Friday… Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus has been dismissive of attacks by Democrats, comparing their concerns to a “war on caterpillars.”

NYT's Thomas Edsall: Romney the Centrist Peeks Out“Favoring baby steps, as politicians routinely do to prevent voters from noticing giant leaps over time, Romney is about to embark on an effort to blur positions he took in his primary battles with Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, especially his controversial stands on such issues as women’s health and access to contraception. In a nomination fight dominated by Tea Party supporters and the Christian Right, an unexpected litmus test emerged: any Republican candidate who wanted to remain competitive had to support an amendment sponsored by Senator Roy Blunt, Republican of Missouri, allowing employers to opt out of covering contraception for women in their company’s health insurance plans if the employer is morally or ethically opposed to the use of birth control…. A March 24-25 CNN/ORC International survey showed the following: In a head-to-head match up, Obama led Romney by 16 points, 56-40, among all voters. The Democrat held a smaller, 10-point advantage among men, 53-43, and a landslide level of support among women, 60-37, or 23-points.”

The Obama campaign has launched a comprehensive websiteMonday morning, explaining what the Buffett rule does and why it’s so important for America: http://www.barackobama.com/buffett-rule

• “Do we want to keep giving tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans like me, or Warren Buffett, or Bill Gates – people who don’t need them and never asked for them? Or do we want to keep investing in things that will grow our economy and keep us secure? Because we can’t afford to do both.” – President Obama on why the Buffett Rule is important: http://www.barackobama.com/buffett-rule/tax-fairness

• And it’s not just President Obama who’s on board. Check out everyone who has called for tax fairness – from Warren Buffett to Ronald Reagan: http://www.barackobama.com/buffett-rule/whos-on-board/president-obama-explains

• Though don’t expect Mitt Romney, who personally benefits from the tax code that the Buffett Rule would undo, to get on board with ending tax breaks for Millionaires: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/dems-will-keep-up-pressure-on-gop-over-buffett-rule/2012/04/05/gIQA7PVjxS_blog.html

Democrats Ready to Pressure G.O.P. on ‘Buffett Rule’“President Obama and Senate Democrats will kick off a coordinated pressure campaign on Republicans next week ahead of a tax day vote on legislation to enact the president’s ‘Buffett Rule,’ which would ensure that the rich pay at least 30 percent of their income in taxes. President Obama travels to Florida on today for a speech on the Buffett Rule, named after the billionaire investor Warren E. Buffett, who has made a point of saying that he pays a lower tax rate than his secretary. The Obama campaign will hold Buffett Rule events in other swing states that day, and Senate Democratic leaders have encouraged Democratic senators to get involved with those campaign efforts… ‘Governor Romney will have to explain why he believes it is fair that he and the wealthiest Americans who make most of their income from investments pay a lower tax rate than middle-class families,’ said Ben LaBolt, an Obama campaign spokesman. The Obama campaign demanded that Mr. Romney emulate his father and other previous presidential candidates, Mr. Obama included, who released years of tax returns. A Romney campaign adviser, Eric Fehrnstrom, told the cable news channel MSNBC on Friday that the releases of the 2010 returns and the 2011 estimate were ‘sufficient.’”

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